There are many factors that affect how quickly a shipment goes from one place to another. Load size, weather and time of year are all factors that can influence arrival times. GW Transportation looks at some of the factors that play into determining shipping time to help answer the question “How long will it take for my shipment to arrive?”
Load Size
Delivery times often hinge on load-type and knowing how much you are shipping and where that freight is going can help you build a picture of how long it will take to get there. Here is a look at how different load sizes affect delivery times:
Full Truck Load (FTL), Partial Truck Load (PTL), and Less Than Truckload (LTL) are all options for transporting your product. FTL offers the fastest delivery time, and least handling, of all three, and therefore is the most expensive. With an FTL, your freight fills the entire trailer. This eliminates the need for stops and extra handling. PTL, on the other hand, is for a large shipment that doesn’t take up a full load. While you avoid paying for a whole trailer, other freight must be loaded and unloaded, slowing down the delivery. LTL is the cheapest option, but also the slowest. Your product will use multiple trucks, which also adds wear-and-tear of unloading at depots. So, when your company is thinking about shipping time, consider how the load size affects the delivery date.
Weather and Location
Technology has improved the accuracy of shipping times. Even with this, inclement weather can still throw off freight deliveries significantly. This is especially true in winter for the northern region of the country, hurricane season for the south, and the dry season for the west. Delays can be frustrating, but a freight company and your transportation logistics company’s main concern is the safety of the driver and the integrity of your shipment.
The population of an area is another factor to think about when trying to understand freight delivery times. If you are shipping to a low population density on anything less than an FTL, waiting for a truck that has other shipments that need to go to that area can affect delivery times. Areas with few distribution centers often add a few days to your delivery.
So, How Long Does It Take?
Considering these factors, shipments can take anywhere from 1-2 business days for regional freight, up to 7-10 into a lower population, cross-country deliveries. It is important to keep open communication with your transportation broker in order to understand when your freight will arrive, and what factors are affecting its delivery. No matter the project, we strive to have your shipment arrive on time.
At GW Transportation, we partner with you to provide top-quality transportation logistics and brokering. We craft our shipping estimates based on data, communicated reports and years of industry know-how. We make sure we provide accurate predictions with updates for any problems that may occur. If you are ready to work with the best and get accurate delivery times, contact GW Transportation today at (877)-260-1595